~ Deepen your connection to nature and return home energized and inspired to make positive changes in your everyday life.
~ Wake up your body and mind with yoga and meditation.
~ Learn to identify trees, berries, mushrooms and tracks of wild animals.
~ Have fun with likeminded people and share experiences as a pack around the campfire.
WHAT WILL WE DO DURING THIS RETREAT?
YOGA AND MEDITATION
You don’t need any previous experience in yoga. There will be a one hour yoga class plus meditation each morning led by Christiana while we stay at Shambala. You are also welcome to practice yoga on your own whenever there is time. We will also do some natural movement in the forest as well as meditation and silent walks in nature.
CAMPFIRE VIBES
We will venture into the wild forest, for hikes, foraging, wild swimming and outdoor cooking. On one evening we will go for a boat cruise to a secret island in a lake for a campfire dinner.
You will also learn about berries, mushrooms, trees and plants, from the large pines to the small ants. We taste what is edible and cook delicious meals over open fire.
You will learn how to use a knife and how to create and maintain a fire, skills that our ancestors had naturally at hand to survive.
We will search for beavers, moose and meditate in the presence of wild wolves and hopefully even hear them howl in the night.
CATCH UP WITH YOURSELF
This is a slow retreat. We will move slowly and take time to reflect and feel. And try to stay away from technology, internet and social media.
At the end of our days we will relax in a wood heated sauna, and then cool down with a dip in the lake, and hopefully fall asleep feeling a bit lighter and wilder.
WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF THIS RETREAT
Strengthen your connection to nature and feel that nature is your true home.
Disconnect yourself from stress and the modern lifestyle.
Get inspired on how to make your everyday life a bit wilder.
Become confident to spend more time in nature on your own.
DIFFICULTY
Easy. No Previous experience is needed, but you’ll be off-trail and on uneven terrain so some level of general fitness is required.
WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF REWILDING ONESELF?
Just because humans can adapt to any environment and demand – such as a stressful life in the city – it does not mean that it is sustainable and healthy to do so. Instead of numbing yourself to be able to cope with the harshness of mainstream everyday life, allow yourself to be fresh, awake, alert, wild and free.
People naturally become happier and more energised when in Nature, it is an empowering and liberating experience.
With this retreat we want to reawaken the sense of curiosity and wonder about all expressions of life. To sharpen our observation skills towards nature and our own body, and feel how totally we belong into the natural world.
To be wild as we understand it, means to be genuine and unfiltered in your experience and reactions. To forget about what is expected of you in order to fit in contemporary city life, and to simply enjoy and connect to nature and to all living beings.
As humans, we used to be part of nature’s processes, and understand their cycles and power. Even though now we have been estranged from our natural environment, we can still regain much of our beautiful intuition and inner guidance.
We just need to spend time with the purest version of ourselves, in the purest environment, in order to trust it again. This way we will feel a vibrant connection to everything there is, and life will have a solid purpose.
Humans are wild animals, we belong in nature. I have come to realize that my true home is by a campfire in the forest under the stars. – Christiana
“The Wild forest reatreat with Marcus and Christiana was just extraordinary. It was a perfect mix between calming down and focus on our senses with yoga&meditation (thanks Christiana) and adventurous tours through the nature of Sweden (thanks Marcus). Tbh I did not expect to see any animal in particular, but we were luckily enough to spot three baby moose, a beaver and hearing the wolves answering to Marcus unbelievably skillful Wolve howl. And I loved the scent of burning birch while just being in and with the nature. “
Michiel L, Trip Advisor
THREE NIGHTS AT SHAMBALA
You will spend the first 3 nights at Shambala Gatherings in Skinnskatteberg, a yoga retreat center where many international yoga teachers hold retreats.
Shambala has a great community vibe, where you meet inspiring and positive people from all over the World. You are likely to meet other yogis and fun people here. Shared bathrooms in the corridor.
You can choose between shared twin room or single room. If you come on your own we will pair you up with another guest of the same gender. If there won’t be anyone to share with, you still just pay the shared room rate.
Or you can choose to bring own tent and sleeping equipment and camp in the Shambala garden. You will still have access to the Shambala bathrooms, showers and relax areas.
TWO NIGHTS IN TENTS
Two of the nights we will venture out into the forest and set up camp by a lake in wolf territory. The exact location is kept a secret, we will explain why. Each tent is equipped with an inflatable mat, sheets, pillow, pillow cover and sleeping bag. You can choose single or double tent. A dry toilet is available nearby our camp, there won’t be a shower but you’ll have the option to swim in lakes and take a sauna. You’ll have hammocks hanging around the camp and be cooking together over an open fire.
WHAT WILL THE FOOD BE LIKE?
The meals that we have in the forest will be vegetarian and we cook together over an open fire. The food at Shambala is wholesome, vegan and gluten free and we often eat out on the sunny deck overlooking the lake.
PRICE
• 13000 SEK per person based on shared twin room. Shared bathrooms in the corridor. If you come on your own we will pair you up with another guest of the same gender. If there won’t be anyone to share with, you still just pay the shared room rate.
• Shambala offer single rooms but only if the retreat is not fully booked. The single room is 14500 SEK for the whole retreat. You will receive an email when and if the single room option becomes available.
• 13700 SEK per person in the glamping tent. You will still have access to the Shambala bathrooms, showers and relax areas.
• 10650 SEK per person in your own tent. You will still have access to the Shambala bathrooms, showers and relax areas.
Note: Camping gear will be provided for everyone for the nights out in the forest. If you want to camp at Shambala, please bring your own equipment.
During the last two nights we will stay in tents. You can choose to stay in a single or double tent. Each tent is equipped with an inflatable mat, sheets, pillow, pillow cover and sleeping bag. A dry toilet is available nearby. We will have hammocks hanging around the camp and be cooking together over an open fire.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
- Guides: English-speaking, local, expert wildlife and yoga guides
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Accommodation: 3 nights at Shambala Gatherings indoors or camping + 2 nights in tent
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Meals: All meals vegetarian, some cooked over open fire
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Transfers: From the start point and back again
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Equipment: All camping equipment for the nights in the forest: headlamps, rain poncho, seat pad, binoculars, hammocks
“This retreat has a wonderful balance: grounding yet challenging yoga; infectious love and curiosity for the wildness of the Swedish forests. And based out of shambala – a retreat centre with welcoming faces, delicious food and a floating sauna!”
Zoe G, Trip Advisor
“I had such a fantastic experience with during Marcus and Cristiana’s Wild Sweden 6 day retreat. The energy and enthusiasm they bring is contagious.
The retreat has the perfect balance of yoga, meditation combined with nature. I have taken so many of the practices home with me incorporating them into my daily life along with so many magical memories that I will treasure forever.
It was well organized and ran smoothly, I would highly recommend this retreat!”
Rebecca H, Trip Advisor
DAILY SCHEDULE
Day 1: Campfire Sharing & Welcome
Day 2: Forest Hike and Moose watching
Day 3: Boat trip and Beavers
Day 4: Wild Camping in wolf territory
Day 5: A day in the forest
Day 6: Closing circle
14:30 Wood heated floating sauna.
You can view our accommodation options below.
Please note that bringing your own tent is also an option.
For more information on our rooms and facilities, please visit our The Place page.
Twin Bedroom Shared
Triple Bedroom Shared
Glamping Tent (double bed) – lake view, heating and electricity
Your Own Tent
meet the team
Marcus Eldh
Marcus spends a lot of time out in Sweden’s forests. He likes to go for hikes among trees, swim in cold lakes and to sleep in tents.
His favorite season is Winter when he can walk on skis, heat up in saunas and cool down in frozen lakes.
He has worked full time as a nature guide since he founded WildSweden in 2003.
He shares his knowledge and love for Nature generously and sincerely, so every adventure is unique. Although he has seen innumerable wild animals and plants, his enthusiasm every time is as if it were the first time!
Christiana Diamesi
Christiana loves teaching yoga, and cooking delicious and vibrant vegan food. Her heart is at home inside the forest, or by the sea, close to water and fire, under the stars.
She has completed a Classical Hatha Yoga Teacher Training (200hrs) in 2010 at Atma Vikasa School of Yogic Sciences in Mysore, India, and has visited her teacher several times since. In 2014 she completed an Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training at Ashtanga Yoga Athens 2002, where she had been a long time student. She has been teaching yoga since 2010, in Greece and Scotland.
Her passion is to inspire living a simple and conscious life in nature, through freeing body and soul. Her teaching style is a combination of classical yoga principles, with body awareness, free movement, and self-love.
Having grown up in urban Athens, she came to Sweden with her dog Aretha and they both rediscovered the untamed version of themselves in the forest. Since then it’s been impossible to forget that truth for her.
MORE at Shambala
SOUL Space
We welcome you wholeheartedly to our place. Shambala consists of seven buildings in nature within which you can find two yoga salas, ten twin bedrooms, four triple bedrooms, one four-bed dormitory, three separate huts, a floating sauna and a lake!
KITCHEN = HEART
The kitchen is the heart of Shambala. We just love to make delicious vegetarian and vegan food for you. We not only use the best possible ingredients, but we also take care of food combinations to ensure that you are in top energetic shape all throughout the retreat.
COMMUNITY LIFE
Shambala is a joint effort. From the residential community and core staff, to the volunteers, to the teachers and guests that visit us every year. Since the beginning, our central focus has been to create a place where people can live together in harmony.
“We did the Wild Forest Retreat in Skinnskatteberg tour. This was a truly fantastic 5 days in the forest. I booked this tour primarily to get away from the City during the Summer and experience wild nature. It was everything I needed. Very professionally organised by Marcus and Christiana who took care of us throughout and made it an amazing experience. I didn’t know it was possible to eat such delicious food prepared on a campfire in the middle of the forest!! We were a small group (3-4) which made it possible to really get to know the other tour members and make new friends. During the 5 days we heard Wolves howling in our presence, saw Beavers and Moose, and number of wild birds. We also did yoga and meditation sessions, carved our own spoons and made pancakes with berries we picked ourselves. Really a range of new things I had not tried before. Would 100% recommend for anyone wanting to connect with Swedish wild nature in a safe and professionally organised way.”
“I did the Wild forest retreat with Christiana and Marcus. My expectations were high as I’ve been to many different retreats and I had such high hopes to hear the wolves. I was not disappointed in any way. The camp is deep into the Swedish forest, situated by a lake with a cosy fireplace an comfortable wooden benches to sit on. Marcus and Christiana created a beautiful, calm, caring and playful platform for us in the group to get to know each other on a very special level. They have the deepest respect for nature and wildlife. Marcus has a vast knowledge of nature and animals and was generously providing great stories around the fireplace. Christiana’s food is absolutely wonderful. She made us all feel like a part of the forest as her soft, mindful voice guided us in yoga an meditation. The wolf tour was absolutely amazing . As we walked even deeper into the forest, and sat in absolute silence, we watched the sun leave us in complete darkness. Three hours later we first heard the cubs then the male and female wolves just a few hundred meters away from us. Back in camp we sat talking around the fireplace until 2 AM. As I went into my tent and cuddled into the sleepingbag I looked out on the moon and the stars over the lake and could not believe my ears. I heard the whole pack of wolves howl again, two times. If you get the chance: DO THIS. It will be the memories of a lifetime.”
“Fantastic!! …the “wild forest retreat” gave me the chance of having a complete connection with pure nature and with myself. Howling with wolves, open fire cooking, meditation out in the wilderness, hot sauna at Shambala, and meeting very interesting people… unforgettable!
Besides, the complement between Markus’s wild-nature wisdom and Christiana’s meditation and yoga’s knowledge it’s perfect to clear the way into a much more profound experience. Totally recomendable!”
“I had the chance to be part of the Wild forest retreat with Marcus and Christina. Magical experience. Beautiful mix and flow with Yoga, meditation and deep nature immersion. In love. Much much gratitude. Looking forward for further experiences with you!”
“Ich kann von einem tollen Wochenende berichten. Ich hatte die Freude, dass ich 5 Tage bei dem ‘Wild Forest Retreat’ dabei sein konnte, welches sich an der Randzone zwischen Naturerlebnis, Naturverbindung und Yoga / Mediation bewegt. Wir waren eine kleine Gruppe und konnten unter anderem Biber & Elche beobachten und haben eine Wolfsfamilie aus 400m Entfernung heulen gehört. Die beiden ‘guides’ Christiana & Marcus waren wirklich toll und authentisch. Marcus, ist ein wahrer Naturexperte und kann viele spannende Geschichten erzählen, Christiana ist Yoga- und Meditationslehrerin und bringt viel Gespür und Herzlichkeit mit.
An den 5 Tagen habe wir neben den Abenteuern mit den Tieren viele schöne Elemente erlebt: Sitzplatz im Wald, Redekreis, Feuer, Yoga, Empathie und Achtsamkeit gegenüber den TeilnehmerInnen und der Natur.
Ich kann dieses Retreat sehr empfehlen. Ich bin immernoch in der ‘Euphorie’ dieses tollen langen Wochenendes.”
GALLERY
How to get here
Shambala Gatherings
Borntorpet 1
Skinnskatteberg
Sweden
Located just two hours away from Stockholm in Skinnskatteberg, Sweden, the area is easily accessible by air, train and car, making a great option for a short break wildlife destination.
- Coming by air: The nearest airport to Shambala is Stockholm Vasteras. The second nearest airport is Arlanda airport, the main airport in Sweden. You can easily take a train all the way to Skinnskatteberg from both of them.
- Coming by train / bus: We are fortunate to have a train / bus station at Skinnskatteberg only 5 minutes ride from the center. We offer free pick up services from this station in summer.
- Coming by car: Simply open this Google map on your navigator and follow directions to Borntorpet 1 in Skinnskatteberg, Sweden.